Darkened Heart of Doubts
by Au Crowne
Summary: On a cool night, young Allen and Mana Walker stumbled upon a young girl who was escaping a certain organization. Sensing similarities between Allen and the girl, Mana decided to help her without knowing what she really was... Allenalee
1. A meeting

**Crowne: Edited a few parts of it ^^**

**Darkened Heart of Doubts:**

**~On a cool night, young Allen and Mana Walker stumbled upon a young girl who was escaping a certain organization. Sensing similarities between Allen and the girl, Mana decided to help her without knowing what she really was. How would the events differ from that? Allenalee**

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><p>A young brunette stumbled forward as his left foot contacted with a rock. It was already dark and he was so tired. Allen unsteadily got up on his feet. Mana stopped and glanced back at him."Are you alright, Allen?", Mana asked as he approached the young brunette.<p>

Allen meekly nodded and brushed the dirt off his clothes. Mana could see that Allen was very tired and he also knew that the boy wouldn't admit it. Mana crouched down in front of Allen and peered over his shoulder."Climb on my back. I'll just carry you till we get to the next town."

Allen just shook his head. He didn't want to tire Mana by letting him carry him but the travelling clown seem not to take a no as a answer so he did what he was told. Mana smiled and stood up, with Allen on his back. He continued on the trail and soon Allen fell asleep. Mana gazed forward, sighing. It's still a long way to the next town.

**~Darkened Heart of Doubts~**

Meanwhile, a quite young girl ran through a dark forest, her dark greean hair flying behind her. She kept glancing behind her, she could hear the people that were after her. She gasped for air as her legs began to wear out. _'Please don't let them catch me... '_, the young girl silently begged.'_I don't want to go back there...'_

She almost stumbled forward in exhaustion but quickly recovered. She knew she was almost close to her limits. It was her third attempt to escape the organization that had forcibly separated her from her brother. All because of a substance they call Innocence. She looked ahead of her helplessly. The forest seemed to be endless. She didn't want to be an accomodator of an Innocence... It was because of that Innocence that she got separated from her only family. All she just wanted is to be by her brother's side...

With the last of her strength, she activated the sole reason why she was held captive, her Innocence. The Innocence formed a pair of thigh-high dark boots at her small legs. Her Innocence, which named Dark Boots, allows her to maneuver in the air, defying the gravity. She stopped briefly and gathered energy at the edge of the boots. She used the energy to lunged herself into the air, letting herself above the treetops and into the cool night. She bit her lip as she felt her legs aching. She was already using it over its limits. She landed at the end of the forest, her Innocence deactivating itself. Her vision began to blur then everything went black.

Mana had just got out of the forest that time, Allen was still sleeping on his back. He quickly approached the unconscious girl. He spotted several bruises even at the dim light. Somehow, it reminded Mana of Allen. He gently picked up the girl, carrying her with one hand while still holding up Allen with the other then he set off into the town.

**~Darkened Heart of Doubts~**

Allen slowly opened his eyes, he didn't realize he had fallen asleep. He glanced around sleepily and realized that he was in a room but he couldn't see Mana. That had fully awakened him."Ma... Mana?", he called in a tearful voice. Just then the door of the room opened up and Mana stepped inside. He was surprised to see Allen crying softly.

"What's the matter, Allen?", Mana asked in a worried tone.

"I-I'm sorry... I just thought..", the young boy apologized. Mana ruffled Allen's hair and gave him a reassuring smile. He knew what had startled the boy. It suddenly occured to Mana that it was the same reason why Allen had refused to rest the past nights. The boy was afraid that Mana would leave while Allen was asleep.

There was a small cough heard from the other bed. Allen glanced at the other bed. Mana followed his gaze and sighed."I found her last night... I can't believe someone would do that to such a young child and then again, you've experienced worse."

"What do you mean?"

"Clearly, she suffered through much. There are some really deep wounds on her and she's having a fever now..."

"... Is she going to die?", Allen asked in a small voice. He got up from the bed and approached the other.

"No... It's nothing like that, Allen", Mana reassured. "She just need to rest..."

"B... Brother...", the girl murmured. As Allen gazed at the girl, he couldn't help but feel that they have some similarities. He didn't know what or how, he just knew."B-brother... "

The girl slowly opened her eyes and weakly looked up at the two."Who are you?..."

"I'm... Allen"

"My name is Mana Walker...", the older one introduced."How are you feeling now?... We found you unconscious at the end of the forest. What's your name?..."

"L-lenalee...", the girl answered in a small voice.


	2. Escape

**Crowne : Sorry for the really late update ^^' I'm kinda working on my fanfics that has only one chapter posted like 'Binding Ties'. Anyway, please kindly leave a review**

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><p><em>The girl slowly opened her eyes and weakly looked up at the two."Who are you?..."<em>

_"I'm... Allen"_

_"My name is Mana Walker...", the older one introduced."How are you feeling now?... We found you unconscious at the end of the forest. What's your name?..."_

_"L-lenalee...", the girl answered in a small voice._

_**Chapter 2: Escape**_

"Don't worry, I'll protect you", the young brunette said in a rather firm tone.

The olive-haired lass looked down at the boy, tears flowing down on her cheeks yet a small smile formed on her face as she hugged the small boy back,"Thank you", she murmured.

Allen smiled at her then he got off the bed, hands behind him,"You should rest and then you'll feel a lot better", he said then looked up at the older man,"... Right, Mana?"

Mana made a nod and picked up Allen, smiling at the boy,"Yeah and you should go back to sleep", he said to Allen, earning a whine from the boy.

"Can't I just stay here?"

"Sorry, can't let you do that", Mana said, lightly ruffling the boy's hair."We'll be travelling again tomorrow and it won't be good if you end up being too tired"

"But Mana..."

"No buts, Allen", the pierrot said as he laid the young boy on the bed. He brushed the boy's hair aside, planting a gentle kiss on the brunette's forehead,"Sleep now, okay?"Allen frowned a bit then glanced at the direction of the girl. Mana followed the boy's gaze and made a small smile,"Don't worry, she'll be fine", he assured him. A smile reappeared on Allen's face as he heard that. He pulled the blanket around him, curling up a bit," 'night, Mana", the boy murmured.

"Good night, Allen", he said. Mana returned back to the girl's side and saw the she was already asleep. He adjusted the blanket on her. He really hope that the girl would be alright the next day, he need to treat her wounds too. He let out a sigh, he really don't understand why people would do such things to young children. Mana lightly shook his head then he turned off the room's light and went to sleep as well.

The next day, Mana and Lenalee woke up early. The pierrot was tending the girl's injury while the young brunette was asleep. Allen stirred a bit as the rays of sunlight seeped into the room. He turned to his side, lightly rubbing his eyes then let out a yawn.

He slowly sat up and glanced at the other bed. Allen quickly got off as he saw the other two already awake,"Is she okay now?", Allen asked the pierrot as he approached them.

"Her fever's subsided already and she got enough rest already", Mana answered as he secured the bandaged in place.

Lenalee moved her foot a bit, swaying it. It didn't seem to hurt that much anymore."Thank you", the girl murmured, thanking the pierrot.

"... Lenalee, right?..", Mana began. Seeing the girl nod, he continued,"I remember last night that you mentioned something about an 'Order'. Where they the ones responsible for your wounds?"

Lenalee nodded, looking down as she clenched her fist tight,"... They took me away...f-from my brother..."

"I see...", Mana said, growing thoughtful. There was no doubt that the Order would still be looking for the girl. Staying in the town wouldn't be a good choice as well so maybe..."Lenalee, do you want to come with us?"

She didn't seem to have expected the offer that she didn't managed to speak at first. It took her a while to find her voice,"... Are... Are you sure?", she asked.

The pierrot nodded,"... I don't think you'll be safe if you stay her for long... And maybe we can help you find your brother."

Her eyes were filled with tears and the young girl couldn't stop herself from crying but in between her sobs, she managed to say,".. T-thank you", she said. She was glad that they were willing to help her. They were really different from the people at the Order.

"Why are you crying?", it was Allen's voice.

Lenalee wiped the tears away from her eyes and smiled at Allen,"... I'm just happy"

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><p>"Are you telling me that you let her escape...?", Malcolm Rouvelier asked in a deathly quiet tone. The inspector looked at the incompetents standing in front of him. They seem to fidget once in a while under his gaze. It wasn't that surprising of the people at the Order were scared of the said inspector. Not just because of his attitude and ruthless ways but mainly because of the position that the man held in the Vatican.<p>

After what seemed to be hours, the inspector spoke again,"Get her back... And use any necessary means to do it"

"Y-yes, sir!" With that, the head guard got out of the office, followed by the few Crow members that had went after the girl last night. To be honest, he didn't want to go after the girl anymore. He was secretly glad that she had managed to get away. He had seen how the girl had tried to kill herself just after a few days of being taken into the Order's custody. Despite the guard's time serving under Malcolm, he still hasn't gotten used in the man's preferred methods.

He sighed. As much as he hate it, he didn't have any other choice but to follow the Inspector's orders.

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><p>"Here", the pierrot said as he handed the olive-haired girl a hat. Mana had to cut the girl's hair into a rather boyish style. She also wear now a long-sleeved shirt and black shorts; she has a thin blue scarf wrapped around her neck.<p>

"Are we going to leave now?", young Allen asked.

Mana nodded,"It'll be better if we leave now"

"Uhm...", Lenalee spoke up,"Mana-san, are you sure that they won't recognize me?"

"At first glance, no", Mana answered,"They'll be looking for a girl with long dark green hair, right? It'll just do for now"

The girl seemed to believe the older man's words, nodding. She put on the long black socks and the slipped on the black boots that Mana had lent her.

"Ready now?", Mana asked as the two children nodded. The pierrot ushered the two kids out and closed the door behind him. The older man returned the room key at the front desk and paid for their rent.

When they got out of the inn, the young girl seemed to be a bit uncomfortable to be out in the open. The young brunette noticed that and reached up then held the other's hand, smiling to reassure the girl was safe now.

Lenalee smiled back at Allen, feeling much more at ease. She glanced ahead, looking at the figure that helped her. She remember the pierrot's promise to her after she told Mana what had happened to her.

At least now, she was free from the Order,'_... We'll see each other again, Nii-san'_, the girl smiled at the thought.


	3. Unbound

**Crowne : Sooo.. Here's a new chapter! I wasn't really sure with this one. A part of me wanted to add the Noahs earlier into the scene or at least Akumas.**

**Sooo.. would you rather have the akumas? or the Noahs? Or maybe even the Apocryphos? Please tell me in your reviews!**

**Note: Writer's block is still stalking me. Poor lil me.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Unbound<strong>

A small bird landed on a branch nearby, looking down at the petite girl laying on the grass. The young girl was laying on her back,asleep, the thin scarf wrapped around her neck was almost covering her mouth. She stirred a bit as a leaf drifted down to her face, sleepily opening her eyes.

_'... Where...?,' _It took a second for Lenalee to remember that she was no longer trapped at the Order. She sat up, the leaf drifting down before it was blown away by the wind.

Where were they again?

Ah, right. They were on their way to the town wherein a circus is supposedly at. Mana had said if they were going to China, their best option would be staying with a travelling circus. Also they would be safe there.

They were just taking a break from all the walking and it seemed like Mana didn't want to tire her since she had just recovered from the fever. It's not like the pierriot had let her do much walking. He had carried her most of the time.

"Lenalee!"

She snapped out of her thoughts, looking up as she heard her name called. She smiled as she saw the young brunette heading towards her, holding a bunch of apples in his arms. The pierriot was just behind the young boy, carrying a basket filled with food.

"The old lady gave us a lots of apples!," Allen said happily as he settled down beside her after handing her one of the apples.

"... Are you feeling better now?," Mana asked, placing the basket on the grass. The young girl nodded, smiling then stood up to show her point.

"You don't have to carry me anymore, Mana-san," she said,"I can manage by myself now."

"That's good to hear but be sure not to force yourself," he reminded her.

"Are we going to the next town now?," Allen asked after taking a small bite off the apple."The old lady said there's a festival there!"

Mana chuckled at the obvious excitement bubbling in the boy's voice."Hai, hai. We'll go there after we've finished eating," he told him. At hearing that, Allen tried eating as fast as he could.

"Slow down, Allen."

The town was... well, a lot more festive than Allen had anticipated. Colorful banners decorated the houses and buildings around, balloons were tied near the shops. Some were given away to the kids. Allen was to say, surprised as he was handed one, which the pierriot had tied around his wrist. Mana had also made sure to hold the petite boy's hand in fear that he might lost him in such a thick crowd. Lenalee was walking beside the boy, holding his right hand.

"It's like this whole town is a huge circus," the boy said in awe as they looked around.

"We've been in a festival last month too, remember?"

The brunette slightly blushed,"T-this is different!," he huffed then happened to glance at Lenalee who had been quiet since they had arrived at the town,"... Lenalee?"

"Is something wrong?"

She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts then quickly shook her head,"... It's nothing... It's just that...," she trailed off as her gaze strayed to a child asking her mother to buy something from one of the stalls.

"Don't worry. You'll get to see your brother soon!," the brunette assured her, a wide smile on his face.

Lenalee smiled back at the boy,"Right."

Happy that the other smiled, he moved his gaze forward. He stopped as he caught a glmipse of something golden flying near a building,_'... What was that?'_

"Allen, let's go."

"O-okay."

**- AU CROWNE - AU CROWNE - AU CROWNE -**

"... So this is a circus.."

That got the boy's attention,"You've never been to one before?," he asked, leaping off the wooden crate he was sitting on.

Lenalee shook his head,"Nii-san and me were going to one but..," she trailed off, a frown gracing her face as memories of that day resurfaced.

_"L-let me go! Nii-san! N-Nii-san! Help me!," she yelled as someone grabbed her, stopping her from running to her brother who was held back by two cloaked men._

_"You're coming with us," the cloaked man said in a cold tone._

_"No!," she started struggling more as she was dragged away._

"- lee?"

She blinked twice as he found herself looking at a pair of wide, worried silver eyes.

"Why are you crying?," the brunette asked again, worried. The other seemed to be spacing out a lot lately.

_Crying? _Her hands went up to her eyes. It was just then she noticed the tears flowing down her cheeks. She wiped them off with the back of her hand, making a smile,"It's nothing, Allen."

The boy didn't looked convinced but decided to just drop it as he spotted Mana coming out of the tent with someone else.

"We're in," the pierriot said, smiling broadly as the two ran to them.

"... You must be Allen and Lenalee.. By the way, I'm Angel! I'm an acrobat here," the lady beside Mana introduced herself cheerfully,"I'll be your guide today."

"Nice to meet you, Angel-san," Lenalee said, smiling at the older woman while Allen murmured a 'hello'.

Mana chuckled at Allen's sudden shyness and just fondly ruffled the boy's hair, earning a grumble from the petite boy.

"Well, shall we start?"

The small group walked off, the female acrobat on the lead while Allen walked between Lenalee and Mana. All of them were unaware of the watchful gaze locked on them as they disappeared behind the tent.

"Tch. That idiot picked up another brat," the man muttered to himself as a golden golem landed on his head. The crimson-haired man quickly turned as he sensed someone else's presence, drawing out a rather large gun but then the presence was gone within just a second.

His frown grew more. That presence had not been a friendly one. It was a dangerous one.

'_What are you scheming now?'_

**Au Crowne : Please kindly leave some reviews! I need some suggestions. Thank you in advance!**


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